TALLAHASSEE, FL- Andrew Gillum has made no apology for his cozy relationship with disgraced Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel. Gillum recently announced that he will participate in a fundraiser later this week with Israel as first reported by the Sun Sentinel.

“Sheriff Scott Israel’s failed leadership is partially responsible for the death of my daughter Meadow and the many other victims who were murdered or injured at Marjory Stoneman Douglas,” said Andrew Pollack, father of Meadow, Hunter and Huck Pollack and founder of Americans for Children’s Lives and School Safety. “It is absolutely disgraceful that Andrew Gillum would campaign with Sheriff Israel. Gillum is siding with Sheriff Israel above the interests of our students and citizens, making our schools and communities less safe. We need to elect Ron DeSantis so people like Sheriff Israel can be held accountable and removed from office.”

Sheriff Scott Israel, who’s been laying low politically in recent months, is among a who’s who of Broward Democrats coming together to help raise money for their party’s gubernatorial nominee, Andrew Gillum.

Israel is among 22 county and city elected officials who are hosting a Friday fundraising breakfast for Gillum in Fort Lauderdale.

It marks a notable return to political activity for Israel, who is midway through his second term.

In the past, he was a prominent figure at political events in the county. In the 2016 election season, for example, he was often at campaign events for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Israel was running for re-election at the time.

Israel has become highly controversial in the aftermath of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre on Feb. 14.

Despite his boast in a CNN interview that “I have given amazing leadership to this agency,” critics have faulted the Sheriff’s Office, which was in charge of protecting the Parkland school. They argue the agency didn’t do a good job in handling repeated calls involving the shooter beforehand and didn’t do a good job on the day of the shooting. A state commission is examining those and other issues.

Democrats have generally withheld judgment about Israel, while many Florida Republicans have said the county’s Democratic sheriff should be removed from office. Republican gubernatorial nominee Ron DeSantis has said he’d have suspended Israel if he’d been governor at the time of the massacre.

Israel is the best-known name on the invitation for the Friday fundraiser that features 31 people who are prominent in Broward politics — including some who were outspoken supporters of candidates other than Gillum in the Democratic primary.